[amazonify]B00005IBX9:right[/amazonify][amazonify]B001NGO27W:right[/amazonify] So the Mr. Coffee coffee maker I had finally quit. It wasn’t expensive, but still annoying that it just died. It was probably about 3 years old. I liked that it had a green backlit fairly large analog-style (hands) but LCD clock. It had a thermal carafe which meant no burnt coffee from it sitting on a warmer, but the caraffe was heavy and hard to open, so this time I decided to go back to a glass carafe coffee maker.
Good friend recommended the Cuisinart DCC-1200 12 cup maker, which had very positive reviews but I looked a little more and found a 14 cup model that looked like it had a nicer looking design. I ended up buying a ‘refurbished’ one from Abe’s of Maine for just $59.95 + shipping. Shipping was pricey at $12.19 but I still saved nearly $30. It came quickly and looked just like new. Note: It did say refurbished by Cuisinart themselves and that the warranty is 90 days. Perhaps a non-refurbished one has a longer warranty.
So how is it so far?
Great! The top opens from front to back (back hinges) which is more convenient than my old Mr. Coffee one but the place to pour the water is somewhat small in the back right, but it’s ok. The controls are simple enough and I like that the warmer temp can be set (L, M, H) so coffee doesn’t get burned. I’d personally rather re-heat cold coffee in a microwave than taste coffee that’s sat on a hot plate for an hour!
It came with a gold permanent filter as well as a few paper ones which was nice. It even incorporates a small charcoal filter cartridge (replaceable) so your water is purified automatically!
The 14 cup carafe is large, but light and EASY to put in and take out of the maker. The manual says if you brew a batch the coffee at the ‘top’ might be weaker than the bottom so giving it a stir before pouring isn’t a bad idea. Seems like a bother, but the first batch did seem a bit weak on first cup, and on the second batch I a) added a bit more coffee, and b) gave it a stir before pouring and the results were better, but I’m not sure if it was more coffee or stirring that did the trick!
Anyway, I like this coffee maker.
If I have one complaint it’s that the clock is tiny and digital and NOT backlit, which means if your kitchen lighting is often not that bright you might have trouble reading the clock.
Programming the maker to make coffee at a given time is simple enough.
Recommended!!